Countdown to College Football

College football fans have grown restless and antsy waiting anxiously to tailgate, paint their faces, and prepared to spend their Saturday’s rooting for their favorite team and praying their team does not become the latest victim of the upset bug which makes college football so exciting.

In other sports Goliath always wins but in college football David always has a fighting a chance. Each season new stars take the stage, we have witnessed the Honey Badger, RGIII and his Superman socks, and last year this guy named Johnny Manziel took the stage. Which unknown player is poised for stardom? What program will under achieve? Which program will surprise us all?

There are 119 Division I football teams and they all are tied 0-0. the time for them to separate themselves is almost here. USA Today and the Associate Press have released their preseason polls but in all honesty there nothing more than glorified guesses that either excite or infuriate fan bases who are experiencing football withdrawal. There are three constants with preseason rankings that never change: (1) 3 teams from the top five will finish the season unranked;(2) the Preseason Heisman favorite will not win; and (3) Michigan, Florida, and Florida State will not live up to their loft ranking.

The Southeastern Conference has dominated the BCS era winning 8 National Championships, will their dominance continue or has the reign finally come to an end? Teams like the Oregon Ducks, Stanford Cardinals, and the Ohio State Buckeyes all believe they have the horses to dethrone reigning BCS Champion, the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Will the Ducks make a seamless transition to Coach Mark Helfrich? Will the Buckeyes duplicate an undefeated season despite their loses along the defensive line? Will the Cardinals be able to weather a tough conference slate despite not having any proven play-makers on offense that stretch the field?

Fan bases all over the country are anxiously awaiting the answers to these questions and more. The madness, excitement, and euphoria is almost here. Stay tuned…I know I will – A. Denmark

Anthony Denmark is a writer for eatdrnkslpsprtz.com. Follow him on Twitter@eatdrkslpsprtz2, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google. Listen to eatdrnkslpsprtz radio  Subscribe to podcast

 

Alex Rodriguez and Johnny Manziel – Persecuted today, Praised tomorrow?

At times in sports, fans often find themselves becoming prisoners of the moment, praising a player for clutch play and glorifying their ability to bring a championship back to your beloved city. However, once the parade has ended, once there is no one left in the stands to shout their praises we finally realize that they are just as human as we are. They trip over things that are not there, they get annoying hick ups, they even use the bathroom like we do, the only thing different is that when they screw up its headline news.

Alex Rodriguez and Johnny Manziel find themselves avoiding the limelight that made them stars, the same media that shouted their praises is now persecuting them for being human. Now breaking rules is never excusable but have we not gone 55 mph in a school zone or forged a signature once or twice in our lives? At the moment Rodriguez and Manziel may be experiencing their darkest hour but there is brighter more promising days ahead.

There are endless examples of athletes doing much more heinous things such as murder, rape, and embezzlement who have survived the media nightmare and have successfully regained the favor of some sports fans everywhere. Once these promising stars register another memorable highlight or make a jaw dropping putt the bitterness of their shortcoming become forgotten.

Taking risk is what separates role players from super stars, taking the shot or calling your own number when everything breaks down. Manziel’s risk taking on the field won him a Heisman, excited a Texas A&M fan base, and led to Coach Kevin Sumlin getting a multi million dollar extension. However like most athletes, his risk taking continued off the field and now his future is uncertain.

Rodriguez and Manziel’s story is far from over, there is still time for redemption. Tiger Woods, Mark McGwire, Andy Pettite, Tyrann Matthieu, Chris Carter, Warren Sapp, Ben Roethlisberger, Ray Lewis, and Kobe Bryant all serve as reminders that it’s what you do after your mistake that ultimately defines who you are and what you are made of. Woods won his 5th tournament, Lewis won another Super Bowl, Kobe won 2 NBA Titles and Carter and Sapp were inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame after their monumental mistakes. What will Rodriguez and Manziel do after theirs?  Stay tuned… I know I will.